🍎 Gooey Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Maple Drizzle

Prep time: ⏱️ 15 minutes
Cook time: 🔥 23 minutes
Total time: 🌿 40 minutes
Serves: 12 muffins
Vibe: Cozy fall mornings (even if you’re still in a tank top)

🍏 Ingredients

For the caramelized apples

• 1 ½ cups apples, peeled and diced small (Honeycrisp, Gala, or Granny Smith)

• 1 tbsp coconut oil (or vegan butter)

• 2 tbsp maple syrup (or brown sugar)

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp lemon juice

• Pinch of salt

For the muffin batter

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten-free blend)

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp nutmeg (optional)

• ½ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• ⅓ cup neutral oil (like avocado or melted coconut oil)

• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce

• ¼ cup plant-based milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the maple drizzle

• ½ cup powdered sugar

• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup

• 1–2 tsp plant-based milk (adjust for consistency)

• ¼ tsp cinnamon

• Pinch of salt

• Optional: a few drops of vanilla extract

🍂 Instructions

1. Caramelize the apples:
In a skillet, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add diced apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, lemon juice, and salt.
Sauté for 3–5 minutes until soft, golden, and jammy. Let cool slightly.

2. Preheat the oven:
To 350°F (175°C). Line or grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

3. Mix dry ingredients:
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coconut sugar.

4. Mix wet ingredients:
In another bowl, whisk maple syrup, oil, applesauce, milk, and vanilla until smooth.

5. Combine:
Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring gently until just combined.

6. Fold in apples:
Add the caramelized apples (and all their syrupy juices!) to the batter and fold gently.

7. Fill tins:
Scoop evenly into muffin cups. Optionally sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or streusel.

8. Bake:
20–23 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean (gooey apple bits are okay!).

9. Cool:
Let rest 5 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

🍁 Maple Drizzle

In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and pourable.
Drizzle over cooled muffins. For a glossy finish, chill for 10 minutes to let the glaze set.

☕️ Serving Suggestions

Best enjoyed with a cozy sweater (tank top), hot (iced) coffee, and absolutely no self-control. 😂
These muffins are soft, gooey, and taste like apple pie met fall in a bakery.

📝 Notes & Tips

• For extra gooey apples, cook them an extra minute or two until jammy.

• Muffins stay moist for 2–3 days at room temp, or up to 5 in the fridge.

• Reheat for 10 seconds in the microwave for that fresh-baked feel.

• No baking powder? Add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice with the wet ingredients to help activate the baking soda.

• Optional add-ins: chopped pecans, oats, or a crumble topping for extra texture.

💚 Kelly’s Green Kitchen Moment

Even though it feels like summer, my fall era is underway. 🍎🍂
An apple orchard hates to see me coming — and this recipe is exactly why. These muffins are what happens when your kitchen insists on feeling cozy before the weather does.

They’re sweet, spiced, and unapologetically fall, whether you’re sipping an iced latte in a tank top or a chai in a chunky sweater.